‘Exceptional’ player can finally be the last piece of Liverpool’s midfield jigsaw

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Heading into this season, there was one big question mark hanging over Liverpool: would their brand shiny new midfield gel together?

Having seen their old stalwarts blown away during 2022/23, it was time for something fresh. In came Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.

So far, things have ticked along swimmingly. The transition hasn’t been without its hitches, but barely a week before Christmas and the Reds are top of the league. Mission accomplished, right?

Well, not quite. Although all four of Liverpool’s signings have done well overall, there is still one enormous elephant in the room. We need a No.6.

Endo is a decent enough player, but he clearly isn’t the answer we’re looking for. Mac Allister is closer to it, but there’s still the feeling that the Argentine would be much more effective playing a more attacking role.

This lack of a final piece to the jigsaw has led many to suggest that Liverpool need to look to the transfer market in January. But we think the solution could be a little more obvious than that.

Thiago, Liverpool’s missing piece

This may split opinion among Liverpool supporters, but it’s so clear to us that Thiago Alcantara is the man Jurgen Klopp is waiting for.

With the 32-year-old reportedly closing in on a return to fitness, he’s about to take the Reds up a level or two.

It’s instructive that Klopp’s go-to midfield for the past two seasons has been Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago. Of these three, two have now left the club.

Despite the new faces brought in, it stands to reason that the manager would still be keen to include the final surviving member.

So far, that hasn’t been possible. Injury has robbed us of the chance to see Thiago dictating this new-look midfield. But, hopefully, that’s all about to change.

No, the former Barcelona man is not a natural sitting midfielder. But neither is Mac Allister. Klopp likes Liverpool’s No.10 in there though and if you look at his qualities, Thiago is basically an upgraded version of Macca.

He keeps the ball brilliantly, uses it cleverly and is strong in the tackle, too. As Klopp said when talking about the Spaniard recently, Thiago is ‘exceptional.’ It’s easy to see him coming in and getting the best out of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch or whoever plays either side of him.

Perhaps the Reds will still make good on links to the likes of Joao Palhinha in January. In that scenario, there’s probably no room for Thiago. But for the final stretch of the season, we see the veteran returning as potentially Liverpool’s missing piece being found. We cannot wait.